CHICAGO – The Illinois State volleyball team traveled north on Saturday to take on DePaul. Set scores were not published for the exhibition event.
"I was really excited about how we responded, because I thought we started with the jitters which is why you play a match like this," head coach Leah Johnson said. "There were multiple people in new roles, but once we changed our mentality to set the tone in the match instead of feeling out the match, we turned it on. I was really pleased to see a disciplined, balanced offense. I'm also excited because I think this is a starting point for where we are going and where we are going to be, and that's what we need this team to continue to be motivated by."
"It was really good to see a different opponent, to see other hitters and a different block," junior Sydney Holt commented. "I think we started off a little slow, but we got into a rhythm and a flow. Our serve-receive was really good and that's one of our trademarks, so that stayed true for us. Looking ahead, we need to make sure we use our depth to our advantage."
Illinois State finished the 2018 campaign with a 25-8 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in Leah Johnson's second season at the helm of the program. The Redbirds will look to continue its tradition of success in 2019, as they open the regular season at the North Texas Invitational in Denton, Texas, Aug. 30-31. ISU's home opener is set for Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., when it renews its rivalry with Illinois as a part of the Redbird Classic presented by The Edge Apartments.
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